Season 3’s finale coinciding with the news of both Stephanie Arcila and Billy Burke exiting ahead of Fire Country season 4 made the possibility of Vince dying among the group in the Buena Vista center roof collapse almost a certainty, as such an ending would warrant Burke’s exit. However, that risks undoing Bode’s progress throughout Fire Country seasons 1 to 3.

Vince’s Death Can’t Stop Bode From Coming To Terms With Their Difficult Bond Alone

Bode’s progress in Fire Country has been so sweeping that the only similarity that can be found between who he was in season 1 and who he became in season 3 is his impulsiveness. His path from inmate firefighter to Cal Fire firefighter, interrupted by another brief stint in prison and return to Three Rock, led him to grow nonstop.

This was reflected in Bode’s relationships with his family. Even if Fire Country season 1 revealed how ugly it had gotten between Bode and Vince, entirely justifying Bode’s initial refusal to be an inmate firefighter at Three Rock, Bode immediately proved he was able to put their past aside, even if he and Vince never explicitly acknowledged their failings onscreen.

Fire Country season 4 premieres on CBS at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, October 17, 2025.

Between Bode’s history with addiction and his being the reason why Sharon and Vince entered Buena Vista without being properly equipped, Fire Country season 4’s looming tragedy has the potential to undo all his progress. However, while the immediate aftermath can be even more devastating because of the many loose threads left, Bode could eventually work through their problems alone.

Undoing Bode’s progress completely would cheapen it after the three seasons he spent getting better. Some time passing from Vince’s likely demise and Bode coming to terms with what the father-son duo never explicitly acknowledged can lead Bode to forgive and move on, even if he couldn’t when Vince was still alive. This could handle Bode’s progress tactfully and correctly.

How The Leone Tragedy Can Give The Bode/Vince Bond The Change It Needed

This nevertheless happened without Vince really doing the work and admitting how terribly he behaved with Bode in the aftermath of Riley’s death, especially because he was also his father. Vince’s likely death thus gives Fire Country season 4 the chance to upset the lull it befell him and Bode, which didn’t let their bond change in any way.

Hopefully, this can work as the shock Bode needs to face his past with Vince and how it influenced their present relationship by himself, healing and moving on, so that he can cherish the good moments between him and his father in Fire Country.

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